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Prayer

Prayer is our only form of communication with God. We offer up works, tithes, doing things for and with God, but the only way to communicate is through prayer. Sometimes it seems God isn’t listening, so I did some checking up on the subject and found at least six reasons why.

Basically, as my husband would say, “you ain’t doing it right”….

#1. Unconfessed sins in the heart stops communication. We can’t hide anything from God. He sees it all. So fess up! “But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear” (Isaiah 59:2); King David agreed. “If I had cherished iniquity in my heart the Lord would not have listened” (Psalm 66:18).

#2. Living in the flesh and not in the Spirit. When our sinful desires of the flesh overcome our desire to please God in the Spirit, we run amuck. “For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live” (Romans 8:13).

#3. Living selfishly, unconcerned about the needs of others. He’s not gonna listen! Would you want to listen to someone who only cared about themselves and talked about themselves – big yawn? So, Jesus taught us to pray, “Yet not my will, but thy will be done” (Luke 22:42). “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us” (1 John 5:14). “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures” (James 4:3).

#4. Unforgiveness is detrimental to communication with our Lord. We really can’t expect Him to listen to us when we hold hatred , anger or any form of animosity in our hearts. Forgive anyone anything if you want to talk to God and have a real conversation. Holding grudges closes communication with Him and embitters the heart. It makes people nasty, horrible and joyless. Why hold onto it? Let it go! This is a favorite parable of mine. “Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him.In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars. He couldn’t pay, so his master ordered that he be sold—along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned—to pay the debt. But the man fell down before his master and begged him, ‘Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.’Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt. But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars. He grabbed him and begged for a little more time. ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it,’ he pleaded.But his creditor wouldn’t wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full. When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset. They went to the king and told him everything that had happened.Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me.Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt. “That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.” (Matthew 18: 23-35). Thank you Lord for making this important lesson so clear we can all understand.

#5. Doubt of any kind will sabotage communication. I read earlier today about the man who brought his ailing possessed son to Jesus and asked “If you can cure my son”. Our Lord’s response was brilliant! He looked back at him and repeated his words. “If I can cure your son!” Wow, where is the faith in that – of course, Jesus pulled out of the man what he saw in his heart. All I can say is thank you God for reading our hearts! So my plan is to toss out any doubt.

#6. Discord at home is very bad for communication with God. When spouses are disrespectful to each other there is little peace in the home and no happiness. That has to be fixed first. I believe a prayer for insight and a display of gratitude towards the spouse and thanksgiving to God for your partner is essential.

Okay, these are some my thoughts on the subject of prayer although most are input and guidance from fellow Christians on the internet. Because who wouldn’t like to be more prayerful?

We just got back from church and the readings were on prayer. Specifically how to pray. Again as my husband would say “there is no such thing as coincidence”